Tuesday, March 10, 2015

11:58 AM

Gov. Scott Walker’s approval rating has dipped significantly among Wisconsin voters since last fall, and he trails Hillary Clinton in his home state in a mythical head-to-head matchup for the presidency, according to a new poll for the Dem firm Public Policy Polling.

The poll found 43 percent of Wisconsin voters approve of the job Walker is doing, while 52 percent disapprove. That’s down from a 49-47 spread last fall.

PPP found Walker’s numbers among Dems and Republicans were largely unchanged. But he’s gone from a 48-45 spread with independents to 36-57.

Meanwhile, Walker trailed Clinton 52-43. In September 2013, the firm matched the two and Walker trailed 49-44.

The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, after news broke that Clinton had used a private email account while secretary of State. Forty-three percent of respondents had a favorable view of Clinton, while 48 percent had a negative one.

The survey wrapped up on the heels of debate in the state Legislature over right-to-work, which Walker signed the day after the poll finished up in the field. The poll found 42 percent supported the bill, while 44 percent were opposed.

Meanwhile, Walker’s support among Wisconsin Republicans for the nomination has ticked up. Fifty-three percent of Republicans want Walker to be the GOP candidate, while 12 percent backed Ben Carson and 8 percent favored Jeb Bush. The firm said the last time it tested the Republican field in Wisconsin without Paul Ryan in the mix, Walker was at 37 percent.

Overall, 35 percent of Wisconsin voters want Walker to run for president, while 58 percent do not. PPP said that is in line with other presidential contenders in their home states.

The poll of 1,071 registered voters included 461 GOP primary voters and 504 Dem primary voters. The margin of error for the overall poll was plus or minus 3 percentage points, while it was plus or minus 4.6 percentage points for the GOP sample and plus or minus 4.4 percentage points for Dems. Eighty percent of the surveys were conducted over the phone, while 20 percent were done over the internet to reach those who do not have landlines.